Plasma IL-4, IL-8, IL-12, interferon-γ and CRP levels in pregnant women with preeclampsia, and their relation with severity of disease and fetal birth weight.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hypothesis that preeclampsia is associated with increased systemic inflammatory responses of Th1-type as well as decreased Th2-type responses compared with normal pregnancy. We also sought to determine whether there was a correlation between these markers with severity of preeclampsia and fetal birth weight. METHODS: The study population consisted of maternal age, gestational age, and body mass index matched 138 pregnant women; 56 normotensive healthy pregnant women (group 1), 42 women with mild preeclampsia (group 2), 40 women with severe preeclampsia (group 3). RESULTS: Plasma interleukin (IL)-8 and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in group 3 than group 1 (p<0.05). Plasma IL-4, IL-12, and interferon (IFN)-γ levels were similar in all groups. Although plasma IL-8 and CRP levels of mild preeclamptic group were higher than control group and lower than severe preeclamptic group, the differences were not statistically significant. There was a positive correlation between IL-12 and fetal birth weight in severe preeclamptic group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated maternal serum pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 and CRP in severe preeclamptic women compared with normal pregnant women supports the hypothesis that preeclampsia is associated with increased inflammatory responses.

Plasma lipocalin-2 levels in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, and their relation with severity of disease.

OBJECTIVE: To compare lipocalin-2 (LCN2) levels in pre-eclamptic women with those in healthy pregnant women, and to determine whether there is a correlation between LCN2 levels and the severity of the disease. METHODS: The study included 66 pregnant women: 22 healthy pregnant women (Group 1), 23 women with mild pre-eclampsia (Group 2), and 21 women with severe pre-eclampsia (Group 3). Pre-eclamptic women and normal controls were carefully matched for maternal age, gestational age, and body mass index (BMI). The maternal levels of plasma LCN2 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Plasma LCN2 levels in the pre-eclamptic group were significantly lower than those in the healthy control group (p < 0.05). Although plasma LCN2 level was lower in the severe compared to the mild pre-eclamptic group, the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). There was no significant correlation between LCN2 levels and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), BMI, triglyceride, gestational week at delivery, birth weight, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in pre-eclamptic and healthy pregnant women (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that there are decreased concentrations of plasma LCN2 in pre-eclamptic subjects and this may indicate that LCN2 plays a role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. However, further experiments are needed to clarify this role.